20 Responses to British and Irish Lions 2013: Squad Announced

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  1

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:42 pm

  Listening to Gatland being interviewed on radio… on Jonny Wilkinson Gatland says he spoke to Jonny who was delighted with the call but that he felt his body may not have been up to it quite a long tour plus he couldn’t commit to be with the squad from the outset and would miss quite a few of the games, well done Mr Gatland on this decision, but also thumbs up to Wilkinson for being up front about things.
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  2

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:44 pm

  Gatland not worried that Warburton wasn’t Wales captain for much of the 6 nations and didn’t always start after his injury and he admires that Warburton wasn’t all about himself but was about putting the team first.
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  3

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:46 pm

  Gatland saying he feels for the players who have missed but also mentions that there have been a high number of players falling out with injuries in past tours so there could still be a chance for others to make it on this tour.
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  4

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:47 pm

  Gatland said in phoning to ‘sound out’ Wilkinson shows that he would have picked him had Wilkinson committed himself to the tour, also mentioned something about Wilkinson saying he may need and operation.
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  5

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:48 pm

  Congratulations to all those players who have made the squad! Commiserations to the guys who have missed out for now.
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  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 12:59 pm

  Am really pleased that Hogg, Gray and Maitland have made it. A pity Ryan Grant, Kelly Brown and Tim Visser didn’t. Visser in particular for me is one Scotland player who I thought from the time he qualified to play for Scotland would be a Lion, but I guess the thinking is that in North and Cuthbert you already have two wings similar to Visser ie. big strong quick finishers and their defence probably a bit better than Visser’s, also Maitland offers a different option on the wing to those 3, not as big but a very organized play maker and he has the benefit of having played a fair few games in Australia.
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  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 1:00 pm

  Lookin at wing and fullbacks it is interesting that there are only four wings but 3 fullbacks, as Halfpenny and Kearney are out and out fullbacks am guessing we will see Stuart Hogg on the wing at some point on the tour, Hogg is actually quite a versatile back line player as he has played centre for Glasgow Warriors as well.
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  8

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 1:03 pm

  Warburton says it was hard to keep the fact that he was to be captain quiet – he was told about 10 days ago.
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  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 1:08 pm

  Of all the players to miss out though I think the one player who is most unlucky is England’s captain Chris Robshaw, for me he is the kind of player that you really want to have on such a long tour one of the people you could ‘go to war with’, I often liken him to former Bok captain Corne Krige, tough as nails leads from the front loose forward. With the depth of players available at loose forward it made it hard for selections but even if Robshaw wouldn’t be a guaranteed starter for the tests think he could have been an outstanding choice to lead the team in some of the lesser games as can’t see Warburton starting all 10 games on tour. For me Falatau has not reached the highs of World Cup and then 6 Nations 2012 this year and a call could be made to pick Robshaw in his place, but then that would have left the squad with only one specialist no. 8 in Jamie Heaslip. This omission must have been one that was debated quite a lot by the selectors.
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  10

  Loosehead on 30 April 2013 at 3:58 pm

  I also would have taken Robshaw along.
  I would NOT have taken Stevens.
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  11

  grootblousmile on 30 April 2013 at 7:59 pm

  Not a bad-looking Squad at all!

  Good back 3 can be selected with plenty of oomph…
  Centres are good, except maybe Brian o’Driscoll is heading a bit past his prime.
  Not convinced by their flyhalves, but then again Johnny Wilkinson has made himself unavailable.
  Solid Scrumhalves
  Loosies seem good, could be a battle royal with the Aussie loosies.
  UK locks are ALWAYS competative and abrasive and these locks are no different.
  Hookers are solid, without being spectacular… none in the class of Adriaan Strauss or Bismarck du Plessis… but then again the Aussie hookers are also nothing too spectacular.
  Props are good bar maybe Matt Stevens who is just bloody average.

  This side, if they can get their act together nicely and gel as a unit could give the Wallabies a real hard time!
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  12

  Pietman on 30 April 2013 at 9:22 pm

  Andy Urrrrrvaaain the manager, what a boytjie Andy was! Got to know him well in 1974, would love to hook up with him again. Shy, rosy-cheeked, never smoked or drank on tour, but he used to love the Springbok biltong I used to send him from the Kalahari…..one of the great ‘thinkers’ on tour, he and Andy Ripley, both of them often to be found with books on Economy and Philosophy under the arm. Andy went on to became professor at the Sorbonne in Paris later, an Oxford Blue and eternal oarsman, great athletes they were, Andy and Andy….
  1974 Lions, the greatest bunch of sportsmen ever to grace our shores, imo…..
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  13

  Bullscot on 30 April 2013 at 9:36 pm

  12 @ Pietman:
  Hello Pietman, WOW thats brilliant that you knew Andy Irvine, a player that was probably a bit before my time but was still really good to hear him reading out the squad today. I have a souvenier mug from that Lions tour somewhere with the players signatures embedded in it that I inherited.
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  14

  Pietman on 30 April 2013 at 10:33 pm

  @ Bullscot:
  Howzit Bully.
  Yup, I was holed up in Leeuwendal Clinic in 1974 (my U/19 days) with a knee injury, in a ward next to Alan Old, the Lions’ flyhalf who got injured against the Proteas the Tuesday before 1st test at Newlands. Andy was a regular visitor, and we later met up in Upington again when they played NW Cape, during a hunting trip on my cousin’s farm. A real gentleman, Andy was, unlike Ian McGeechan! Always spoke fondly of his mother back in Scotland (she was a widower, Andy lost his father when he was a toddler, I recall). I wonder what he looks like nowadays….
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  15

  grootblousmile on 30 April 2013 at 10:39 pm

  14 @ Pietman:
  Ou Piet, was jy net 19 in 1974?

  Jy het dan soveel myle oppie klok…. jy het seker maar grondpad langs gery…. hehehehe

  Smaak my ‘n klompie wille tantes het jou almelee se dae vir ‘n spin gevat en jou enjin goed gerev!

  Ek speel net ou vrind, ek en jy kan nog lekker saam kuier, saam sing (al kan ek nie sing nie) en oor die lewe filosofeer!
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  16

  Pietman on 30 April 2013 at 10:48 pm

  @ grootblousmile:
  Hehehe! Nee, darem nog U/20 gespeel daai tyd!
  Knie in sy moer op Frazerburg, van alle plekke, NWKaap teen SWD, vandaar Kaap toe vir operasie, ek en Alan Old deur dieselfde sjirurg gedoen die Dinsdag voor die eerste toets.
  Lekker ouens gewees, die’74 Leeus. Ek was op Ken kennedy en Shelley Latham (Miss South Africa daai jaar) se verlowingspartytjie, wat praat jy, gipsbeen en al!
  Andy was vleuel/heelagter, een van die sterre op toer.
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  17

  Pietman on 30 April 2013 at 10:56 pm

  @ grootblousmile:
  Praat van grondpad ry, hier het n paar Arabiere versuip in onse vallei vandeesweek, erg gereen vir 4 dae lank, net water waar jy kyk, kan jy glo! Manne val in die rivier met hulle FJ Cruisers en raak dan verstrengel in hul rokke en goete, dan vat die stroom hulle….
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  18

  Loosehead on 1 May 2013 at 7:09 am

  @ Pietman: I think that I should start calling you Oom.
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  Bullscot on 1 May 2013 at 8:54 am

  12 and 14 @ Pietman:
  Jinne Pietman now you got me confused with all those Andys
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  20

  Bullscot on 1 May 2013 at 8:59 am

  Pietman just for you I found some footage of Andy Irvine from just over a month ago discussing the Lions tour: